The House has adjourned for the third day without electing a new speaker after Kevin McCarthy continued to suffer a string of defeats in multiple rounds of voting on Thursday. As the fight for the gavel drags on, it has now become the longest speaker contest in 164 years.
Each failed vote only increases pressure on McCarthy to end the impasse, but it is unclear whether he will be able to pull it off as the situation grows increasingly dire for his future political prospects.
Even after proposing major concessions to his hardline conservative opponents late Wednesday, the California Republican has still not yet been able to lock in the 218 votes he needs to win the gavel. The longer the fight drags out, the more dire it becomes for McCarthy’s future, as it risks further defections and a loss of confidence in the GOP leader.
McCarthy said after the House’s adjournment Thursday that progress had been made in negotiations but he would not put a “timeline” on when he could get to 218 votes. “So if this takes a little longer and it doesn’t meet your deadline, that’s OK,” he told reporters.
McCarthy also addressed criticisms that differences among the caucus weren’t resolved before the contest for speaker began this week, saying they “tried to sort it out” before January 3.
Talks have continued among Republicans as the GOP majority hopes to find a path forward. Negotiators between the McCarthy allies and opponents are pushing for a deal Thursday night in attempt to show progress, according to a source in talks. They believe they have made significant progress, but they are still haggling over some of the details. Complicating matters is the fact that at least four Republican members are leaving town Friday because of various family issues.
Source: CNN
